Words by Members of the WhyNot Editorial Committee
Domestic Everest failures
I start the day with domestic aspirations that are basically the equivalent of summiting Everest. Re-pot all 47 plants in the yard (I’m the crazy pot lady), bake a sponge cake (nan’s recipe), a slow cooker casserole and use the last of those blackened bananas in yet ANOTHER banana bread, that no one can even look at because it’s the 3rd loaf this week.
Once I’ve finished that I think I’ll have time to start sifting through old clothes that could go to the salvos and be ready for calming yoga at 11am, followed by beginner meditation part 3 – as I have plans for a calmer more grounded version of me to emerge post iso #emergebetter (insert eyeroll). And yet every day I’m surprised to hit the same mid arvo motivation chasm – 3.13pm I’m star fished on the couch watching my fourth ep of Grey’s Anatomy in a row. Chilli my dog sighs with judgement (rude) and rolls over.
I’ve bought 2 new self-help books in the last week to add to my dusty collection of half-read ones in the bookshelf. Usually around now my phone rings for the 3 millionth time which I predictably screen because I CAN NOT FACE ANOTHER ZOOM right now (which I think makes me a dick because I’m now screening my friends in isolation). I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that this week at least, I am more productively unproductive than I have ever been in my life.
Georgie – Editor, WhyNot EC
Zesty haloumi anyone?
Phone call pleasantries – “What are you doing today?”, “How’s your day?”, “What have you been up to?” – were quickly becoming the bane of my existence during this uncertain period.
These dreaded questions are the starter for every conversation I have.
I scramble around in my head to come up with something worthy to share and end up over exaggerating an otherwise mundane task. “Just meal prepping for the week – feeling inspired to do something Moroccan” basic translation, “I spent 15 minutes aimlessly flipping through my decorative cookbooks and came across the words Zesty Halloumi”. And then I do the unthinkable and return the question, resulting in one of two things happening; I feel their panic as they try to justify their seemingly unproductive actions or they’ve actually productively kicked arse and I feel a guilt settle in my gut.
Before COVID19 I felt an insane pressure to always be on, constantly moving forward, starting the next side hustle, upskilling in god knows what – all in an effort to prove my worth. It has taken a world pandemic, police enforced downtime and an unwavering cheer squad to realise that it’s okay if I take a beat, switch off, and just simply be. All those things I want to achieve, the dreams I want to make reality, the goals I want to kick will be there tomorrow when I’m well rested and ready.
THE NEXT PHONE CALL: “What have you been up to?”
ME: Absolutely F**K all – and it’s flipping fantastic!
Lauren – Digital Content Coordinator WhyNot EC
¿Que pasa?
My inner introvert has definitely come out this pandemic.
My triumphs include:
- A 38-day streak of spanish lessons
- Starting a worm farm for my veggie patch (my veggie patch is looking ?)
- Finishing Borderlands 3 on PS4
Failed projects:
- Daily exercise routine (ain’t nobody got time for that)
- Learning to code (felt cute, might start again later)
My conquests so far include Tiger King, Ozark, Casa de Papal, To Hot to Handle and The Last Dance, although I am getting worried that Netflix will run out of quality content to act as a buffer between dinner and going to bed at an acceptable time.
Finalmente, soy Jono y estoy feliz, por ahora….
Jono – Website maintenance at large WhyNot EC
Life without FOMO
It’s week 7 and it feels like the new normal- Iso in Covid-19. From when everything first started shutting down, the uncertainty of food supplies, job security and the anxiety of the unknown, to now- Zoom calls, covid-relationships, maxing out on hobbies and not feeling any pressure to go out. Now is probably the first time in a long time that no one, anywhere in the world, is experiencing FOMO. We once felt the pressure to go out and flaunt our social lives, this has now been replaced by insta-stories of puzzles and board games.
What’s been amazing to me is how fast weekends go when you haven’t left the house, life right now feels like playing a game in double speed and on hard mode… and it hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be.
Aileen – Designer and Illustrator WhyNot EC
Netflix & Spiral
When we began shut downs in Australia it seemed as though the world had plunged into chaos. Except for me. The whole time I felt so calm – eerily so. I knew what was happening was awful and scary. Even when I was temporarily stood-down I was calm and maybe even a little… relieved. I have definitely felt guilty and confused about having these emotions. It’s like reality never set in and perhaps it still hasn’t.
I was calm and yet I still couldn’t relax. When I was stood-down, I thought to myself “Beauty! I have some free time now!” and got to work.
Days 1-3, I cleaned the house spotless – Walls, floors, furniture rearranged, everything.
Day 4, I reached the garden and immediately broke my toe by kicking a loose brick. Bummer.
After that came slow work in the garden and I even did some crafts. I tried new recipes, and baked a cake for my neighbor who was going through a rough time.
Then week 3 I fell into a trap of spending all day binging TV, and it was hard every day trying not to feel stressed about not being productive enough. Even though I did many things and felt accomplished, it still felt so stressful to get things done. I would have preferred to relax and enjoy my time off rather than feel this unnecessary urge to work away from work.
It was like I never left.
Lydia – Engagement Officer WhyNot EC
